The present invention relates to a bracket system for suspending and securing conduits and the like, such as electrical and fluid conduits, including water and gas distribution support systems, between structural members for walls or ceilings of a building.
The pipe securement systems of the prior art are generally time consuming and/or expensive to install. Most generally conduits are suspended within the walls of a building structure between wall studs, or in the ceiling of a building structure between ceiling joists by a transverse member which is connected between studs or joist, such as a piece of wood 2 by 4 or other lumber, and then a clip in the general shape of a question mark is placed over the conduit and the clip is then secured to the transverse board by a screw or nail. Wood has become ever increasingly more expensive and in addition requires excessive time for nailing or screwing the wood support to the adjacent building structural members.
In other prior art installations, expensive metal brackets are constructed whereby they are telescopic in nature in order to spread to fit between adjacent structural members, such as wall studs or ceiling joists, and metal clips are provided which slide along the bracket and may be properly positioned to clip and retain conduits. These adjustable conduit bracket systems are exceedingly expensive.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive conduit bracket system which is easy to install.
The modular suspension system of the present invention for supporting conduit or other structure between structural members of a building is comprised of a transverse support bracket for securement between building structural members and includes an elongate conduit segment of circular cross section, such as a segment of readily available plastic conduit, and end mounts received on opposite ends of the conduit segment for securing the conduit segment to respective building structural members, such as wall studs or ceiling joists. Accordingly, the main portion of the modular suspension system consists of a segment of plastic conduit which is readily found on the job site as excess scrap pieces of conduit which would otherwise be discarded. The end mounts are also preferably molded of plastic. The end mounts are comprised of tubular segments which are coaxially received over end portions of the conduit segments. These tubular segments have at least one ear protruding therefrom for securing the tubular segments of the end mounts to the building structural members to thereby suspend the conduit segment therebetween. The modular suspension system thus far described is in its simplest form and may be simply used in this fashion to, for example, support conduit and other elongated members running between ceiling joists.
The modular suspension system of the present invention may be further adapted to include clip members which are slidably received on the conduit segment for securing other conduit to this conduit segment which is supported between building structural members. These clip members are comprised of a clip base tubular segments which are coaxially received over the conduit segment and may slide therealong, and a pair of resilient clip arms extend from each clip base tubular segment in spaced relationship and are dimensioned for embracing and retaining a conduit therebetween in biased engagement. If desired, the clip members may be positioned and then glued there so that they do not thereafter move. For example, if the pipe consists of pvc, the clip members may be glued in position by applying a small amount of pvc glue. The clip members are also preferably molded of plastic in the same manner as the end mounts are molded. It is also preferable that the end mounts and the clip members are molded of the same plastic as is the elongate conduit segment so that associated parts of the modular system may be glued together if and when desired.